Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Hansard source

I am pleased to receive a question on this issue. The government did not cancel the $65 million in works. As stated before the election, we will spend $15 million for the Australian Rail Track Corporation to do a detailed study. Work done so far has identified a preferred far-western subcorridor. Our study will finalise the alignment within the corridor, identify planning and environmental issues and look at cost and demand for the line.

The previous government had brought forward money to do work on the existing track at the same time as the study was being done. That is putting the cart before the horse. You need to know where the line is going before you fund the building of the line. The government is not alone in thinking that this is appropriate. Everald Compton, Director of the Australian Inland Rail Expressway, said on ABC Radio New England just this week:

I am not shedding a single tear over the deferment of this $65 million because we never ever asked for it in the first place and I approve of what the government is doing to defer expenditure that is not needed while we tackle the inflation situation in Australia.

So I say to the Leader of the National Party, who is profligate with taxpayers’ funds—of course, we know about the National Party and the way that they abused taxpayer funds through programs such as the ‘regional rorts program’—

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